once it’s all cut up get three strips of fabric and sew them stacked on top of each other (i wanted the middle of my rug to be all white)

safety pin your three sewn strips anywhere you can be comfy (you are going to be there for a while! i did mine attached to my runner on my dining room table) this is the start of your braid.

start braiding your white fabric****EDITED**** ****you need to make sure your braiding is SUPER LOOSE. do notmake your braids tight at all. if they are tight they will make your rag rug curl up when you try to sew it together.******

once you get close to the end of your braid you are going to fold over the end of your strip and snip with your scissors a slit.

like so, and then you will do the same to the next strip that will be the following strip to lengthen your braid (do this to each of the three strips)

you will take the next strip and place it on top of the braided strip

grab the end of your new strip (the end without the slit) and pull through both slits (from behind)

this will adjoin your strips and you will be able to continue your braid

this is what it should look like, now keep braiding.

once you get close to the end of your braid you are going to do the same as you did before and make a slit at the ends of your braided strips and at the beginning of your next strips this time wanted to add color so i took one strip of the honey bun and two of the white strips i cut out.

it should now look like this. this will be what you do through out the whole process of braiding your rug. one color in the middle and two whites on the outside.

as you continue to braid your braid will get too long so unhook your safety pin and re-pin it closer to your end.

this is how it should look as you continue to braid. make sure your fabric “folds” with the right side out and continue to braid it loosely

once you have completely braided ALL your strips together. you are going to sew you braid “shut” this tail will be tucked at the very end and you wont see it.

now that you have a whole mess of a braid going on…we are off to hand sew it together.

get some sturdy thread (i recommend one you use for upholstery) and a needle and you are going to start off by coiling your start of the long braid (the whites)

start by hand stitching your coil center like so. (start in the very center of your coil first and work your way out)*****EDITED*****make sure once you get your center started and going…place your coil on a flat surface. this will ensure that your rug lays flat with each coil.also make sure you do not overlay the braids at all. they need to be laying flat and to be sewn side by side to each other.

you are going to continue to hand stitch your braids together, do this for the whole rug. what you are sewing is your back, when you are done, the stitches should be fairly hidden from the top. (the other side)

when you get to your end, make sure you tuck and stitch the end of your braid so that the tail is on the bottom of your rug and hidden when you turn it over. (snip the extra part of your tail if you like)
****to make your rug a little sturdier, i recommend adding a felt backing to your rug.
first start off with placing your rug on top of your large piece of felt, (you can buy it at walmart for pretty cheap off the bolt you will need aprox 1 1/2 yards (just in case so you can piece a little if needed)) and cutting out the same size as your finished rug.
next hand sew around your rug on top of the felt.
and then at random places adhere your rug in the middle (and all over) by doing big stitches through your coils.

look what you made! isn’t it pretty? and it will look so great ANYWHERE! (make some smaller circles to make bar stool seat covers!)

1 rag rug with width of 32 inches

if you’d like to purchase a kit to make this rag rug please visit this site

*****

to clean your rag rug properly we advise you to wash your rug and lay flat to air dry

Beautiful! Whatever you do, don’t put the rug with so much white in a traffic area of your house. I have crocheted rugs. The light areas get grungy and stay that way. Your rug is a beautiful accent for an area that doesn’t get walked on.

This is adorable. If I start now, I might have one done for a Christmas gift. Not that your tutorial wasn’t super great, but I am braided rug challenged. My mother would go crazy for this! Thanks for the love.~Misti

Thanks so much for shedding light on the “how the heck do I keep braiding without making a knot?” aspect of rag rug making. I plan to try making one from a vintage bedsheet, though it might be challenging to tear all my strips as evenly as that honeybun confection. Thanks again!

Thanks for sharing this tutorial! I will be making a rug for the baby’s room. However….I’m not “getting” how to join the strips through the slit. How does it not just pull right through?Please help!Thanks 🙂

carrie when you place the new strip on top of the braided one, and then you pull the “tail” of the new one through the BACK towards the front (this is the most important part)then it interlocks and acts like a knot. i hope this helps

This is really beautiful, and I am struck by the amazing photographs. However — I do have a practical question. Can these rugs be laundered? I’d want them to stay as pretty and clean as they started, but would worry about unraveling, fraying, and general falling-apart-ness, moldy not-drying-ness, and other potential problems…

none of the fabrics were prelaundered…so i’m assuming shrinkage will happen. but as for falling apart. pretty sure that it’s not going to be an easy task due to all the hand sewing that goes to put the rug together…but you raise some good questions…i’m going to have to do some experienting over here! 🙂

That was a perfect step by step tutorial!! And your rug turned out soooooo cute! Where do I buy Honeybuns?? And do they have polyester fabric for the honey buns? That’s my favorite stuff for rug making!

I have always wanted to make one of these rugs, but the classes cost $30! I’m so glad you showed me. I was told that you should wash your rug on a really hot day and then set it out on the sidewalk to dry and it drys quickly. Not sure if it would fade that way though. Love your creativity.

I’ve always wanted to make one of these and your tutorial really made it seem very simple. I was wondering… do you believe it would be just as easy to use denim? I have a TON of old jeans that I’ve been collect to make a quilt, but I would love to have a denim braided rug on my floor just as much, but I don’t want to attempt it if there would be issues.

thank you, thank you! your instructions for adding new strips to your braid were so easily understood..for years i have had to take the braid to the sewing machine to add new strips…now it will be a cinch! never too late to learn! thanks again…

I loved this tutorial, but have a question.If I didn’t have a honey bun roll, how much fabric would it take to make this? And if I wanted to make it oval instead, would I just start out folding the strip in half and tacking it down, then continue on as in the round one?

this is a great tutorial–but i am unclear as to the procedure for doing the hand sewing. you say to roll up the center and start hand sewing. . .uh, how? exactly? i have been wanting to do this project for a while– all the sheets that i bought when we first bought our house have worn out– but they have sentimental value for me– a great way to recycle them!

okay for the center you will start with holding your braid, roll it like a coil (as if you are making the shape of a snail's shell)one loop at first. this is the start of your rug. you will need to sew together your first loop just like i show the rest of the rug, connecting the sides of the braid with thread and needle. i really hope this helps, and i'm sorry it's taken me till now to get back to you through comment. if you have any more questions will you please email me at vanessa.christenson@gmail.comthank you.

I am so happy that I've found your tutorial for making these!! My gram's used to make these when I was growing up and have always loved them. I had forgotten how to make them myself, due to a severe head injury from a wreck. As a result I've had to relearn things I thought I'd never forget. I so appreciate you posting this!!

Your tutorial was excellent! Thanks so much. I was looking for a rug tutorial and stumbled on yours. I'm now at the hand sewing part and my rug keeps curling and my thread is showing on both sides. Any thoughts? This is my “test” rug so I'm not too concerned. I'll be making many more! Thank You!

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